Software Architecture

Circuit Breaker

/ˈsɜːkɪt ˈbreɪkər/

Definition

A pattern that detects failures in service calls and temporarily stops sending requests to an unhealthy service.

Example in context

"After 5 consecutive timeouts, the circuit opens — calls fail fast for 30 seconds, then retry a probe."

Related terms

Practice this term

Master Circuit Breaker in context by working through exercises in the Software Architecture module. You'll see the term used in real engineering scenarios with multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and matching drills.